


Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Jedi Code, and Other Things Anakin Has Misunderstood

by RaineyDay



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Happy, Background Demisexual Anakin Skywalker, Background Poly, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, M/M, Minor Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Multi, Satine is in one scene, Star Wars Big Bang 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineyDay/pseuds/RaineyDay
Summary: Everyone knows that Jedi can't get married. What they don't know is that the reason for that is less about attachment and more about politics. It's not against the Code to get married- but it is, technically speaking, illegal.In the jumble of trying to figure out how to educate a nine-year old former slave, Obi-Wan Kenobi may have neglected to mention a few things. Minor details really, like the details of the Alderaanian lineage system, or the proper way to greet a member of the Pijali court, or you know, that he's married. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?Art by: wrennetteBetaed by: trickytricky
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 26
Kudos: 483
Collections: Star Wars Big Bang 2020





	Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Jedi Code, and Other Things Anakin Has Misunderstood

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars Big Bang 2020! Exciting times! Thank you to my wonderful beta/cheerleader trickytricky for helping me get myself together enough to make something I'm proud of. Thank you to the amazing wrennette as well, who made the adorable artwork for this fic! Also a thank you to forcearama on tumblr for making the joke that helped inspire this silly AU!

Obi-Wan wasn’t expecting him to arrive this early to their strategy meeting, but the sooner they finalized a plan, the sooner Anakin would be able to call Padme, and he missed her. He wanted every second he could get with her, even just over comms.

The door to Obi-Wan’s office was locked, but Anakin had known the access code for years and knew he was always welcome in Obi-Wan’s space. He walked in without bothering to knock. Obi-Wan wasn’t in the room, but the door to his adjoining quarters was slightly ajar. Anakin frowned when he realized Obi-Wan hadn’t noticed his presence yet, but also wasn’t surprised. That had been happening more and more often recently, what with how distracted and busy Obi-Wan seemed. 

Anakin knew some of the men worried about it, but he’d assured them that Obi-Wan wasn’t too distracted to notice threats. He was still as alert as ever on the battlefield, but it took too much energy to pay as much attention around people he knew would keep him safe. He’d done the same thing all the time when Anakin was younger.

Before Anakin could say anything, Obi-Wan began speaking, and Anakin thought that maybe he’d been mistaken; perhaps Obi-Wan had noticed him already.

“Will you do me the honor of allowing me to marry you?”

Anakin froze. Or not. Yeah, Obi-Wan definitely hadn’t noticed him. _What_ was going on in there? Was _Obi-Wan_ proposing marriage to someone? That would seem fairly obvious, if not for the fact that Obi-Wan didn’t _do_ attachment.

“No, no, that’s too… self-deprecating. Too passive. Even if it _would_ be an honor.”

Anakin knew that he should probably leave, but that statement had just made everything so much weirder. He was frozen in place, torn between his embarrassment at potentially being caught inadvertently eavesdropping on this private moment, and his rising curiosity about what his master could possibly be up to in there.

“When this was is over…” Obi-Wan started up again, and Anakin couldn’t help but lean in to hear a little more. “Is that really how I want to phrase it? By bringing up the war? Though, I suppose trying to avoid the topic entirely is impossible.”

Was he just practicing a proposal? For a moment, Anakin tried to delude himself into thinking that maybe this was for some kind of mission, and Obi-Wan was going to be going undercover, but even he couldn’t keep pretending for more than a split second. What kind of mission would require Obi-Wan to pretend to break the Code he lived by? And, a part of him muttered angrily, why would the Council ever want to let any of them entertain the idea that marriage and love might _not_ be horrible things that ruined someone’s light and peace of mind?

But if he was only preparing to propose, then perhaps it hadn’t gone too far yet; there was still time for Anakin to fix this. Now, Anakin wasn’t enough of a hypocrite to try and talk Obi-Wan out of doing this _entirely_ , but Obi-Wan clearly hadn’t thought this through! For Force’s sake, anyone could have just walked in on him practicing this!

Well, maybe not anyone, Anakin admitted. The door had been locked. Still, he wasn’t being careful enough! Anakin needed to help him, before he got himself in trouble.

If Obi-Wan was caught by the wrong person, he’d be punished, probably even kicked out of the Order, which he didn’t deserve! He was a great Jedi, and he ought to be allowed to be married if he wanted. Anakin understood, in theory, the problem with attachment. But loving someone wasn’t wrong! And if anyone could avoid Falling from losing a loved one, it would be Obi-Wan.

Anakin heard Obi-Wan start moving around in his quarters, steps coming closer and closer to the door. In a moment of panic, Anakin hurried back to the door he came in through.

He didn’t quite make it out in time, but he managed to turn around just as he heard the door to Obi-Wan’s quarters open all the way. He hoped it looked like he’d only just entered the room, rather than the failed attempt to flee before Obi-Wan saw him that it really was.

“Oh, hello, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, only the smallest edge of surprise in his voice. “Did you need something?”

“I had some time. Figured I’d see if we could have our strategy meeting early. If you’re not busy, that is,” Anakin said, deliberately trying to sound natural. 

“I was planning to work on some reports, but they aren’t urgent,” Obi-Wan walked over to his desk, looking just as casual as Anakin wasn’t.

Anakin wasn’t sure if Obi-Wan really did believe he’d only just entered, or if he was just that good at hiding any fear of getting caught. _Anakin_ sure was nervous when people came too close to finding out about him and Padme, even if he knew he would have been confronted long before now if anyone had noticed.

He joined Obi-Wan at the desk, moving to stand behind him to better see the maps and diagrams they’d been working on. Obi-Wan launched right into discussing potential enemy courses of action, and how they might be affected by the local terrain, and Anakin was paying attention- really he was- but he just couldn’t help a slight amount of distraction. Obi-Wan wanted to marry someone! Which meant that he was in love with someone! And Anakin had no idea who it could be!

Well, that wasn’t totally accurate, now was it? He had ideas. He just hadn’t thought any of those ideas would turn into anything significant. He’d long thought that Obi-Wan was in love with Duchess Kryze, but if he was going to marry her, surely he’d have done it when he’d first known her? Unless they’d been spending more time together recently than Anakin had realized, he just didn’t think it was plausible that Obi-Wan would decide to marry her _now._

Obi-Wan was definitely a flirt, but that just made it harder to figure out who Obi-Wan might love, rather than narrowing it down. There were a lot of people Obi-Wan would flirt with, but that didn’t have to say anything about his romantic interest in them. He flirted with Ventress often enough, after all.

Which left Anakin with a lot of possibilities and no certainties, and a hell of a lot of curiosity. Who, of all Obi-Wan’s friends or flings or acquaintances, had managed to endear themselves to him enough that he was willing to break the Code he lived by over it?

Anakin noticed Obi-Wan looking at him oddly, and tried to focus back on the problem at hand. He was _not_ prepared to talk about this with Obi-Wan, no matter how much he might be willing to help him out with it.

He got his head back in the game and managed to distract himself enough with the planning that he could almost forget about this new information. He was so caught up, in fact, that he didn’t notice the sound of a knock on Obi-Wan’s door until his former Master had already walked over and opened it.

Anakin glanced up to see Commander Cody enter the room, and he nodded absently at him in greeting.

“Generals,” Cody said, professional as always.

“Commander. What brings you here?” Obi-Wan asked, warmly enough to make Cody’s title sound more like a term of endearment than an appellation shared by many in this war.

“Just delivering some completed reports. I was planning to discuss them in more depth if you were free, but I see that you and General Skywalker are working on something,” Cody nodded politely in Anakin’s direction.

“Anakin and I have been working for a while. We could probably use another eye on this. And then perhaps you and I can discuss some of those reports afterwards?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Certainly, General,” Cody agreed, taking off his helmet and smiling at Obi-Wan as he spoke. He stepped closer to the desk Anakin was still standing over, peering down at the holo-map projected onto it.

“Does that work for you as well, Anakin?”

“Sure, Master. Three heads are better than two, right?” Anakin replied. Commander Cody had a good mind for strategy, even if he was a bit more by-the-books than Anakin preferred his own men to be. It wasn’t a bad trait, really. And it worked well with Obi-Wan’s own preference for following the rules when it was an option.

Obi-Wan smiled and moved back over to the desk as well, standing near Cody to point out the routes and strategies he and Anakin had been discussing. But he didn’t move away once he’d finished. Anakin’s eyes narrowed.

Was he reading too much into that? Obi-Wan and Cody were friends who worked well together. They felt perfectly comfortable being in each other’s space. That didn’t have to _mean_ anything. Anakin was comfortable stepping into Rex’s personal space as well. But something about the way they stood seemed more… intimate than it needed to be.

Anakin shook his head. He had a battle to plan. He was probably just seeing things because of what he’d overheard. And if he wasn’t… well he’d have plenty of time to observe them over the next campaign and come to his own conclusions.

They ended up spending the next couple hours planning, due to an unexpected arrival of new intelligence that forced them to scrap most of their original plan. Anakin couldn’t help his disappointment that he might not be able to call Padme today at all.

“They should have latemeal ready in the mess about now,” Cody said, rather suddenly.

Anakin looked up, first at Cody, and then over at Obi-Wan, who was biting his lips and had a hand reached out to the place on his desk where he normally kept a cup of tea, despite there being none there. Ah. Sure signs that Obi-Wan was hungry but forgoing it to keep working.

“We’ve been at this for a while,” Anakin commented, stretching his arms above his head. “Maybe one of us should bring some food back here? I’m getting hungry.”

Arguments 1 and 2 in the Obi-Wan “Workaholic” Kenobi Playbook were ‘I’m not hungry’ and ‘I’m too busy,’ both of which could be neatly avoided by 1. convincing him that someone *else* needed to eat and 2. bringing the food to him.

Obi-Wan hummed in seeming agreement, but he clearly wasn’t really focusing on them.

“I don’t mind grabbing some plates, General, but I’m not sure I have enough hands to get enough for all three of us,” Cody spoke. “Why don’t you take a break and come with me?”

“I was thinking I could keep going while you-” Obi-Wan looked up now, blinking himself back into the present, and noticing the disapproving looks he was getting from both Cody and Anakin.

“Cody’s right, Master,” Anakin said, making a show of relaxing into his chair as best he could. “You should get out of this room, stretch your legs.”

“And what, you don’t need all that?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him.

“Nah. I spent the morning training Ahsoka, so I’ve stretched my legs plenty. You, on the other hand, have spent all day in either your room or this office, which means you haven’t moved much at all. Really, Master, idleness is not a good trait for a Jedi to encourage,” Anakin teased.

Obi-Wan gave him a dirty look, but he stood up and stretched, which Anakin took as a victory.

“Fine. I’ll go with you, Cody.”

Anakin turned away to hide his grin. He really couldn’t understate how much he appreciated having an ally as proficient as Cody in the battle to keep Obi-Wan in halfway decent health.

He looked back up in time to see Cody and Obi-Wan leaving the room and Cody putting a hand casually on Obi-Wan’s back, guiding him forward. 

The second the door closed behind them, Anakin shot up from his seat and moved towards Obi-Wan’s private quarters. This was the perfect opportunity to do some snooping. Surely there would be some clues as to the identity of Obi-Wan's mystery lover? If he was ready to marry them, then there must be something to find- a trinket, or love note, or _something_.

Anakin paused for a moment when he got into the room. Where would Obi-Wan hide something like that? There wasn’t much space to conceal anything in his quarters, really. Even High Generals didn’t get especially nice quarters, not that Obi-Wan would care about that anyway.

Anakin moved toward the small storage area near the bed, for lack of other places to begin. Digging around in there didn’t reveal much at first, but there was an envelope tucked into a side pocket that caught his eye. Actual flimsi envelopes weren’t used for too many things other than personal business, being too low-tech to be considered useful for professional matters.

Inside the envelope were nearly a dozen scraps of flimsi, words scrawled across them in a neat hand. Anakin flipped one over to read it.

While in this darkest night,  
You have been my greatest light.  
Obi-Wan

There is too much we’ve had to bear,  
There is no life but yours I’d like to share.  
Cody

Well. That answered that question. Anakin was torn between laughter at the truly sappy stuff written here, and distress over this new revelation. For all that he’d been looking for something like this, actually seeing it made it all seem so much more real. Obi-Wan was in love with Cody, and he was going to do something _stupid_ because of it.

That is, unless Anakin could figure out some way to get this whole mess back on track.

-

Anakin didn’t know what to do. Now that he’d noticed the way Cody and Obi-Wan behaved around each other, it was impossible not to see the intimacy and care between them. It was sweet, in a way, but also frustrating because he knew he couldn’t be the only one noticing. Honestly, it was like Obi-Wan wasn’t even trying to keep their relationship secret!

They could not seem to keep their hands off each other, and while it wasn’t anything scandalous, it was still obvious. Obi-Wan would keep a hand on Cody’s shoulder throughout planning meetings, or Cody would lean into his side as they discussed logistics or troop morale or just what they’d eaten that morning. It wasn’t anything much more than Obi-Wan would do with anyone else in public, but he did it so much more often than with anyone else, even Anakin.

Then, there was the way that Obi-Wan had stopped referring to Cody by his title except at the most formal of times, like when reporting to the Council or announcing battle plans to the entire gathering of forces. Every other time, it was always just “Cody,” with the same amount of affection dripping off of it that Obi-Wan usually saved for him and Ahsoka.

They also seemed prone to entering meetings a bit later and just a touch more ruffled than they usually would be. The first time it had happened, Anakin had almost choked on his own spit in surprise. It wasn’t _obvious_ , he supposed, not so much that any random person would realize, but for someone who knew both of them as well as he did, he couldn’t not notice.

And Anakin knew that it wasn’t just him who was registering all of this, either. Some of the men from both the 212th _and_ 501st had been tossing the two of them looks, both approving and confused, and even Ahsoka had seemed to realize that something was off about them, and had asked Anakin if something had happened between Obi-Wan and Cody on their last mission.

He needed to _do_ something.

He watched as Cody moved over to stand beside Obi-Wan, who was holocalling the Temple to discuss their next moves. Cody greeted the Jedi who were visible around the holotable, before turning towards Obi-Wan and leaning in close. They spoke in quiet, low tones, and Anakin could only watch in fear as several Council-members seemed to take note and exchanged significant looks with one another. They were noticing something weird!

Before he could second guess himself, Anakin stepped up to Obi-Wan, almost shoving himself in between him and Cody.

“So what’s the plan Master?” He asked brightly.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted, irritated. “I was speaking with Cody about that, actually.” His Master’s pointed comments weren’t going to get to Anakin right now. If Obi-Wan couldn’t see that Anakin was saving him from a lot of trouble, then he deserved to feel as irritated as he was making Anakin feel.

One day he’d thank him for all this.

-

So far, Anakin’s plan for helping Obi-Wan and Cody had extended only to trying to make sure they weren’t too obvious with their affection in public. That had been going… alright. Obi-Wan had been giving him some very confused looks, and Cody seemed somewhat irritated with him, but he was helping them! They’d see that, eventually. It was worth letting them be frustrated to keep Obi-Wan in the Order.

But Anakin was also sympathetic to their plight. He understood how hard it could be to be unable to be publicly affectionate with a loved one. He just needed to make sure they had some time alone to make up for it.

The only problem was that both Obi-Wan and Cody were very busy with their duties, as well as being workaholics who didn’t know when to stop and relax. Anakin had been doing his best to run interference when he knew they were alone together, but he could only do so much, especially since they were both high-ranking officers whose input was needed seemingly constantly.

Really, the only times their efforts weren’t so vital were moments like now, in post battle cleanup periods, where they really were just extra hands. They could be helpful, sure, but there was really not much about the process that their specific skill sets could do any better than anyone else.

But Obi-Wan wouldn’t be Obi-Wan if he didn’t push himself to his limits to help, even when it wasn’t needed.

It had been a space battle, and there was a mess of droids littering the halls. Anakin had been carrying the dead droids out of the way and away from the people they’d killed, piling them up to be looked over for any useful parts or valuable information. It was cathartic, something about the movement and the visual of the space being cleared of the droid fighters. And right now, he needed something cathartic. Obi-Wan had tried to refuse to be seen by a medic. He always did that, but he _didn’t_ always collapse to his knees the minute things had calmed enough to confirm that the battle was over.

He, Ahsoka, and Cody had eventually managed to convince Obi-Wan that the medics were not too busy to see him, and that just because he was standing fine now didn’t mean that there was nothing wrong. But Obi-Wan had insisted that he didn’t need help getting there, and he’d hate to be an ‘inconvenience’ or keep them all busy, just in case something happened.

They’d reluctantly let him leave, until Cody had conveniently gotten a call from the 212th’s medic a few minutes later, asking him to come to the medbay for a report on casualties. Anakin was glad someone was going to be watching Obi-Wan, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to do it himself. For that reason, he’d made sure that his droid removal path took him close to the medbay.

As if summoned by his thoughts, he sensed Obi-Wan and Cody nearby. They were talking, though he couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. Anakin inched closer to the sound.

“-was cleared to leave, Cody. I’m fine!” Obi-Wan argued.

It was good to know that they hadn’t found anything requiring that Obi-Wan stay long, but Anakin was pretty sure that there was a difference between that and being ‘fine.’ 

“You were cleared to leave, yes, not to resume duties,” Cody said. 

Yeah, that sounded more accurate.

“I’m just tired, Cody. That doesn’t mean I can just stop working.”

“You’re not ‘just tired,’ Obi-Wan. You nearly passed out from exhaustion. Are you trying to give them an excuse to keep you locked in the medbay for the next two days?” Cody responded.

Anakin stepped a bit closer, unsure if he wanted to admit to eavesdropping but fully on Cody’s side in this argument.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one listening in, if the way that Cody looked around suddenly and stopped speaking was any indication. Anakin watched as Cody wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan’s back and walked him into a nearby storage closet, closing the door so as not to be heard.

Which gave Anakin an idea. That storage closet had a notoriously stubborn lock. And it wouldn’t be the first time the lock managed to ‘randomly’ engage and lock someone inside.

He waited a moment, looking around carefully, then he locked the door and swiftly walked away.

He was rather pleased with himself all evening, until he overheard two of the men talking on his way to the mess hall.

“I heard the Commander finally snapped and broke the lock on that one storage closet,” one snickered. “Got locked in with the General when he was hurt apparently.”

“Of course that would be the thing to convince him,” The other rolled his eyes. “He’s so overprotective of him.”

“Which one?” the first asked, laughing again.

They turned a corner and Anakin couldn’t hear them any longer, but he hardly needed to. His heart sank. Not only had his plan _not_ worked, but it had apparently only made the rumors stronger.

He’d need to find a way to fix this.

-

Obi-Wan was nearing his wits end. Anakin was being more ridiculous and irritating than was usual, and for no apparent reason. And it all centered around himself and Cody. He hadn’t noticed, at first, but when Anakin had locked them in together, he’d realized that every little interruption from Anakin had been when he and Cody were speaking. The fact that he seemed to be alternating between forcing them apart and forcing them together was confusing, but it was definitely him deliberately doing both. Obi-Wan had sensed his presence right outside the closet door before it locked, and his other attempts to interfere one way or the other hadn’t been much more subtle.

The situation wasn’t going to resolve itself, so he decided to confront Anakin about it. He found him after dinner, in his quarters, and asked to talk.

“Sure Master, come on in,” Anakin said, stepping back from the door to allow Obi-Wan entrance. His room on the Negotiator was barely worth the title, being just one of the larger storage closets renovated into quarters, but given how much time he spent here on missions with Obi-Wan, he’d made it his own.

He was relaxed here. Obi-Wan hated to break that relaxation by confronting him, but whatever was going on with Anakin needed to stop. He waited for the door to close behind him before speaking.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan started. “What is going on?”

“What do you mean?” Anakin asked, but the startled animal look on his face told Obi-Wan that he didn’t need an answer. But if he insisted on playing innocent...

“I _mean_ that you have been behaving strangely in the past few days. Every time I speak to Cody, you have found some way to derail the conversation. Except for the times when you have instead isolated us away from everyone else for no reason, _including_ when we were meant to be helping with clean-up efforts after our last battle!”

“I just thought- that-” Anakin had no idea where he was going with this, or even, if he ought to go with this. “I figured you two- that is- you and Cod- _Commander_ Cody might want-”

To Anakin’s surprise, Obi-Wan began to flush slightly as he was talking.

“Is this about- are you telling me that you’re trying to _set us up_?” Obi-Wan asked, flustered in a way Anakin had rarely seen before. “Anakin, I do not need your help in my love life!”

Anakin could admit to being rather taken aback that Obi-Wan would use that phrasing so easily. He had been certain that they would be reduced to dancing around the issue- an area in which Obi-Wan thrived and Anakin floundered.

“In fact,” Obi-Wan straightened himself up, like he always did when he was particularly pleased with himself, and Anakin tensed. “I have a bit of an announcement to make.”

Anakin thought about interrupting, but in the end, he remained silent, not sure whether to hope or dread that Obi-Wan was about to say what he thought he was.

“I’ve asked Cody to marry me. He said yes.” Obi-Wan had an almost dopey grin on his face that Anakin would _definitely_ have teased him about under other circumstances, but right now, he had bigger concerns.

“You can’t get married!” Anakin shouted, briefly forgetting himself and his volume control in his efforts to impress upon Obi-Wan how *terrible* an idea this was.

The look that Obi-Wan gave him in return bore a strong resemblance to the ‘Anakin-you-ridiculous-hypocrite’ look that he always got whenever Anakin said something _particularly_ ironic to Ahsoka around him. He looked like he was about to laugh or sputter something at Anakin, but nothing came out of his mouth. Eventually, though, he gave an overly patient sigh and spoke again.

“And why not?”

“Why- why not?” Anakin demanded. This was insane. Why was Obi-Wan acting like this? It was almost enough to convince Anakin that Obi-Wan must have received some head trauma he didn’t know about, or had been replaced with a shapeshifter or something, because the Obi-Wan he’d always known would never have asked _why not_ break the Code. “Maybe because there is no way for this not to end badly?”

“Why would it end badly?” Obi-Wan asked, but the smugness had disappeared and been replaced by a look that told Anakin that Obi-Wan didn’t need an answer. The disappointment and hurt on his face almost made Anakin want to take back his words, but he didn’t. “I know that relationships started under stressful circumstances often don’t work out but-”

Anakin could scream. But he’d come back to himself enough to remember that they needed to keep things quiet if they didn’t want a disaster on their hands.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean?” Obi-Wan asked with an exasperated sigh.

“That you will get caught! Not only are you doing a piss-poor job of hiding the fact that you like Cody more than you should- if you get married to him, that leaves a flimsi trail for anyone to follow if they just look hard enough!” Anakin had long since realized how _stupid_ it had been to leave such evidence of his own marriage. He regretted it now, but as a dumb nineteen year old, it had just seemed so very romantic to have a wedding, and legal proof of his love for Padme. He hadn’t realized, at the time, how long he’d want to stay in the Order afterwards, and how dangerous it would be to have proof like that, even with his efforts to slice into the records system and bury it.

“I’m not marrying him legally- I can’t!” Obi-Wan said, seeming even more baffled now. Anakin was relieved to know that he had _some_ sense at least. “And why would I be trying to hide the fact that I love him?”

Anakin froze. Those were words he never thought he’d hear from Obi-Wan. He knew that Obi-Wan was capable of love, because he loved Anakin. In his darker moments, he was less charitable about the fact that Obi-Wan had never told him he loved him, but usually he was willing to accept that Obi-Wan showed his love in gestures and actions, not words. He had no idea how to feel about Obi-Wan saying the ‘L word’ now.

“Do you _want_ to get into trouble with the Council?”

“Why would I get in trouble?” Obi-Wan asked. “I’m sure they know I’m not the type to abuse rank like that-”

“Attachment, that’s why! You know, a major part of the Jedi Code?” Anakin burst. “Jedi can’t get attached to other people, so they can’t get married to people, which is a pile of bantha shit, honestly, because we’re _supposed_ to care about other people. How can we care about other people and their safety without worrying about them and protecting them, and _getting attached?_ ” It was a rant Anakin had long wanted to let loose, and he found himself pacing as he spoke. “And why draw the line at marriage, anyway? Why even let us have friends if attachment is so scary? It’s ridiculous, but it’s also the kind of ridiculous you’ve always followed, so why the hell are you willing to stop that now? I’m glad you’re loosening the stick up your ass, Master, but honestly, you can’t just pretend this is normal behavior for you!”

When he ran out of steam and looked back to Obi-Wan, Anakin couldn’t quite decipher the expression on his face. He looked utterly confused and lost, but almost on the verge of laughter at the same time.

“Do you- Anakin, do you think that the Code disallows marriage?”

“Uh, yes? Because it does?” Anakin retorted automatically.

“Oh, does it? Would you mind, perhaps, quoting the relevant section where that is addressed?” Obi-Wan was outright laughing at him now, and Anakin felt some of his confusion turn into - well into more confusion but in a different direction. He- of course he couldn’t quote any section of the Code word for word, he’d only ever skimmed the full text himself, always behind on his assigned readings and eager to ditch them to focus on the more physical aspects of his training during his early years in the Order. One of them had to be right and one wrong on this matter, and, of the two of them, Obi-Wan was the one more likely to be right when it came to the minutiae of the Jedi Code. But if he was right, then that would mean that Anakin was wrong. And how could he be wrong about something this important?

Obi-Wan must have noticed the baffled look on his face, and his own expression shifted to reflect the same confusion Anakin felt.

“Anakin, how could you of all people possibly think Jedi can’t get married?”

“Why me of all people?” Anakin asked, and he couldn’t stop his heart from beating a little faster, even with Obi-Wan’s baffling assertion that he wouldn’t be in trouble for getting married.

Obi-Wan gave him a soft look, and Anakin had the impression that whatever he had planned to say, he was about to drop it in favor of something else.

“Well, for one thing, you have me for a Master. I’ve been married since before I met you, so I can’t imagine how you could have been under this misconception that getting married is against the Code.”

Anakin’s mind blanked out instantly.

“What do you mean you’re married?” He shouted, when he could think again, noticing that Obi-Wan was struggling to hold back laughter again.

“When I was nineteen, I married Satine. We’ve been together- as much as is possible- ever since,” Obi-Wan’s hand moved to cover his mouth in a familiar gesture that could mean a lot of things, but the light in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was trying to cover his laughter. Anakin scowled.

“Wait- but you two were so- angry or whatever on the Coronet that one time! Why were you so upset about seeing her if you’re married?” Anakin knew it was something of a weak point; even at the time, he’d noticed a connection between the two of them, but he couldn’t understand anything that was happening right now.

“Well, we did have a rather intense argument when the war broke out, as I’m sure you can imagine, but mostly we were just frustrated because we can’t see each other as often as we used to. We both made the decision early-on to prioritize our duties and sometimes that has led to friction. Satine has less opportunity to come to Coruscant now, given the way the Senate has reacted to Mandalore’s neutrality, and I’m not often planetside when she happens to be there anymore,” Obi-Wan said lightly, but something about his voice hinted at humor. Anakin didn’t want to ask. He wouldn’t.

“Are you telling me that was just- just sexual tension?” Anakin blurted out against his will.

Mercifully, Obi-Wan didn’t answer with words, but the sparkle in his eyes and the amusement radiating into the Force were answer enough.

“You know what, Obi-Wan, forget I even asked,” Anakin groaned, but he was smiling. No matter how weird and confusing things got - and finding out he may have been terribly mistaken about something he’d long taken for a fact was definitely weird and confusing- joking with Obi-Wan always gave him a sense of normalcy.

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. At least, not for Anakin.

“If I may, Anakin, if you thought that romantic relationships were forbidden by the Code, why would you and Padme…” Obi-Wan trailed off politely, and Anakin resisted the urge to flinch.

“How do you know about that?” He didn’t, however, quite resist the urge to shout defensively. Even if he apparently, bafflingly was allowed to be with Padme, he didn’t think anyone would take too kindly to finding out that he was willing to do it even if it _did_ go against the Code.

“Oh, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed. “Surely you didn’t think we were unaware of your affection for her?”

“You- you weren’t?” Anakin nearly whimpered. He had thought he’d done such a good job of hiding it! It was probably that stupid marriage certificate, he knew he should have-

“Yes, Anakin. Really, before this, I was surprised that you hadn’t already married her.”

“I did,” Anakin said, unthinkingly.

“Oh.” Obi-Wan was so quiet, Anakin could hardly hear him, and he pressed against Obi-Wan's mind, seeking explanation.

He was met with a wave of rejection and uncertainty, and felt a responding surge of guilt rise within himself. He’d wanted to invite Obi-Wan to the wedding, but he had been so worried that Obi-Wan would hate him for it, that he’d be so upset about Anakin’s attachment that he might not even want to come. Now, knowing that there had been no reason to fear that, he just kind of felt like a huge asshole for not inviting his best friend to his wedding.

“Obi-Wan, I’m sorry. I wanted you there, but I thought-”

“Yes. Yes, I know.” Obi-Wan was still being too quiet, but he gave Anakin a small smile anyway. “I won’t tell anyone about your… misconception, but I might recommend that you not mention that you’ve already performed some kind of ceremony. Master Yoda would be devastated to have missed it. Jedi don’t often get married, really, so he loves to be there when we do, and especially for his lineage members.”

“Well- maybe we can hold another ceremony!” Anakin offered. He kind of doubted that Yoda really would care that much, but Obi-Wan might, and he wasn’t against having a celebration with other Jedi present. Obi-Wan always said the Jedi were a family, and, though Anakin much preferred the family he’d built himself of Padme, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, he did care about the rest of the Jedi. In a sort of ‘they-drive-me-crazy-sometimes,’ somewhat distant way, but he did still care about them.

“If you would like that,” Obi-Wan said, cautiously, but Anakin knew him too well not to see the eagerness. “And perhaps, I could tell you about some of the traditions for Jedi marriages. You don’t have to follow them, of course, and I know you aren’t always big on tradition, and you and Padme probably want to include some elements from your own cultures, I’m sure…” he trailed off as Anakin reached out and grabbed his hands, which were twitching and waving about in front of him in a clear moment of anxiety.

“I might not do everything, but yeah, Master, I’d love that. I mean the Jedi- we’re family, right? You- and everyone else- are my culture too, so I ought to have some stuff reflecting that, shouldn’t I?” Anakin met Obi-Wan’s eyes as he said it, and saw how they sparkled with a sentimental happiness. He gave Obi-Wan a big grin. “Also, it’s a second chance to do it exactly like we want to! It’ll be great! Just a nice break, and a celebration. We don’t even have to worry about the legal stuff this time either, which makes it easier.”

“‘Legal stuff’?” Obi-Wan’s expression twisted toward a frown. “‘This time?’ Oh, Anakin, tell me you didn’t marry her legally!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Anakin asked. He really did not like the sound of that.

“When I said that Jedi are allowed to get married, I meant that nothing in the Code prohibits it. However, _Republic law_ does state that Jedi cannot be legally wedded.”

“What? Why not? That’s ridiculous!” Anakin shouted, fear rising again.

“It’s a very old law, but it is still binding. It was put into place as a protection measure, and as part of the negotiation that bound the Jedi to the Republic. In those days, every Force sensitive person was in a precarious situation. They were not trusted, and many people wanted to use those Jedi for their own end. The law ensured that no Force sensitive would be ‘married’ as a way to bind them to the control of their spouse against their will, which was common in those days, and it would also ensure that the Jedi Order’s power was kept in check by removing any ability to accumulate property and influence via inheritance. We needed the support of the Republic, and the law _did_ protect many Force sensitive people, so it was agreed to by all parties.”

“Well, nobody’s going to care, will they?” Anakin asked desperately. “It sounds like it’s just one of those old stupid laws no one ever bothered to repeal ‘cause they didn’t care, like, that one they discovered on Stewjon a while back about no native can get their hair cut without permission from their spouse, right?”

“You _may_ be right, especially since the Jedi are so needed right now, but it has been enforced as recently as a few decades ago. The Jedi have long been trying to get it repealed, but have always failed; there are many within the Senate who fear those born with Force-abilities and feel it is important to keep the influence of the Order in check. Some still genuinely fear that the abilities we are born with will inevitably lead to a grab for power at their expense.”

“We wouldn’t do that! Even if we wanted to, we’re too busy fighting a war right now to start another.”

“You and I know that, but there are many citizens who don’t. You’ve heard the propaganda. There are people who say that we are the ones prolonging the war, in search of political power in the Republic. I don’t like the idea of your marriage to a Senator and former planetary leader being discovered while we still have that misconception gaining popularity. At best, there would be no legal repercussions for a scandal like that, but would still be devastating for you and Padme, as well as the Jedi and perhaps even the Naboo.”

“What can we do?” Anakin asked, determined. “How do we fix this?”

Obi-Wan paced for a moment, one hand going to his chin as he lost himself in thought.

“I assume you did some clever slicing to hide the records. Otherwise, this would already be public,” Obi-Wan stated more than asked.

“Yeah, I buried it in the system.” Anakin answered anyway.

“Can you remove it from the system?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Not from a distance. I’d have to be on the planet itself, maybe even in the records office.”

“And what planet did this happen on?”

“Naboo,” Anakin said.

A sly grin grew on Obi-Wan’s face.

“Then I might have a plan. However, I would need to speak to the rest of the Council about it,” he warned.

“Is that the only way? They won’t be happy about this,” Anakin said. For Padme’s sake, he’d take any punishment or judgement they might give, but he’d rather not.

“I think it might. I’m also not sure I can keep this from them. If it was only about you, I wouldn’t tell them at all. But this could be very bad for the Jedi as a whole, as well as you and Padme. Besides which, I think the risk to you personally is far worse if this is made public than if the Council is informed. They may be somewhat displeased, but you have not broken our rules, and I doubt they would think this deserving of anything worse than some required meditation about attachment.”

“I thought you said marriage wasn’t about attachment!” Anakin protested, so that he didn’t have to agree yet. He understood what Obi-Wan was saying, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Anakin, I’ve told you that it’s not the emotions but the actions that are a problem. You being married and in love with Padme is not bad in itself. But the fact that you were willing to do something you thought broke the Code for her is somewhat concerning. It might make someone wonder what other rules you would break for her sake. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I understand,” Anakin grumbled. He still didn’t think it was fair to punish him for something that wasn’t against the rules.

“We can talk at length about this later, if you want, but I do also want to say that if you are given these mediation requirements, it is not a punishment for you specifically,” Obi-Wan said, and Anakin looked up guiltily. Sometimes he couldn’t tell if he was accidentally sending thought over their bond, or if Obi-Wan just knew him that well, but it was still unsettling to hear him respond to the fears Anakin _didn't_ speak.

“It truly isn’t,” Obi-Wan insisted, at Anakin’s uncertain expression. “It is a standard practice to ensure that married Jedi do not become too attached and risk Darkness. It may be more rigorous for you, given the circumstances, but all of us have to do it. Romantic relationships have historically proven to be more prone to attachment and Falling than platonic ones, so while the Order does allow them, they do want us to be careful about it. It’s also more rigorous for those of us with spouses outside the Order, because there is less opportunity for other Jedi to notice any early signs of attachment than there are for strong relationships where both parties live in the Temple, whether romantic _or_ platonic. I’ve been married to Satine for nearly twenty years, and I still have to do this occasionally. I promise, it’s not about you.”

Anakin nodded, still a bit hesitant, but relieved too. Obi-Wan rarely lied to him. Concealed things, danced around the truth, spoke in misleading ways, but rarely outright lied. If he said it was normal for married Jedi- and wasn’t that phrase something of a mindfrip- then it was.

“I need to speak with the Council soon. There’s a holocall scheduled, after which I’ll tell them about this and about my plan. I’ll speak to you later this evening?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yeah, Obi-Wan. We can talk later. I’m going to go invite Ahsoka to my wedding!” Anakin replied, suddenly giddy. He was going to have another wedding, with his family present this time! Despite the weirdness and the worries this conversation had caused, he couldn’t imagine much of anything that could ruin that source of happiness.

-

“Does anyone have any final business to discuss?” Mace asked the room. Perfectly timed, if Obi-Wan could be frank. Now that they were finished discussing more life-and-death matters...

“We may have a small situation on our hands,” Obi-Wan started. “Regarding Anakin.”

Obi-Wan noticed the small signs of frustration or amusement that rippled through the room, signs most Jedi would not be aware of, but that he had become very familiar with after closer association with the other Council members.

“Of course we do,” Mace said, and there was a combination of exasperation and humor to his voice that he wouldn’t show to just anyone. “What’s he done this time?”

“Gotten married,” Obi-Wan paused, then clarified. “Legally.”

There was a long moment of silence as the others took that in. Obi-Wan waited patiently, knowing that someone would soon gather their thoughts and speak.

“To Senator Amidala, I would presume?” Plo Koon asked, his voice neutral.

“Yes. Two years ago,” Obi-Wan said.

“I’m not sure if that is a relief or a concern. They kept it fairly quiet, the marriage element of it at least, but that is a concerningly long time in which anyone could have stumbled across that information,” Shaak Ti said.

“Quite. I’m sure we all understand that something must be done to prevent the problems that could come with the reveal of such a scandal,” Obi-Wan said.

“Yes. And I’m sure you have already come up with a plan,” Mace said dryly.

“In fact I have,” Obi-Wan said, smiling.

-

“So! Hear I’m cleaning up your mess, Skywalker!” Quinlan Vos teased as he caught sight of Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Anakin scowled, and Obi-Wan elbowed him in the side.

“He is here to help us, Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered. “And you _know_ what Quinlan is like.”

“Yeah. An asshole,” Anakin responded.

“Well, I won’t argue with you there,” Obi-Wan chuckled, before stepping forward to greet Quinlan. He was pulled into an almost aggressive hug, and he rolled his eyes, but still laughed and hugged back.

“It’s good to see you, Quinlan,” Obi-Wan said, pulling away.

“You too, Obi-Wan.” Quinlan grinned and turned toward Anakin. “Skywalker! I haven’t seen you since you were a Padawan!”

“Hey, Vos,” Anakin greeted. Quinlan stepped closer, lightly punching Anakin in the shoulder.

“So, break it down for me. Obi-Wan told me you’d buried the file, but I ought to know the details of what exactly you did before I go digging.”

“Perhaps we might want to discuss this in a more private location, Quin?” Obi-Wan asked pointedly, raising his eyebrows at his friends.

“Lead the way, Kenobi,” Quinlan agreed.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and they managed to fill the time of the short shuttle ride up to the Negotiator by getting caught up on the more innocuous Temple gossip they’d missed during their months away. Once there, Quinlan seemed to see the interior of the ship as a ‘more private’ space already, and resumed asking Anakin questions about the actual steps he’d taken to bury the file.

Obi-Wan led them to his office, and smiled when he realized that Cody was waiting for them by the door.

“Do you have something to discuss, Cody?” he asked, while keying in his passcode. “I’m speaking with Anakin and Quinlan at the moment, but if it’s quick?”

Cody followed them inside, but stayed near the door.

“It’s actually General Vos I need to speak with,” Cody said, turning to face Quinlan. Quinlan made a face at the title.

“Commander, I know you’re big on following procedure, but I’d rather you not call me General. I work in intelligence more than strategy or active combat, and I haven’t done anything to earn the title. Besides which, you’re apparently going to be my friend’s husband. Call me Quinlan or Vos, or if you really need to use a title, Knight Vos.”

“Certainly, Knight Vos,” Cody managed to speak past the grin that split his face at the reminder of his engagement. Anakin turned a mischievous grin on Obi-Wan and saw him smiling helplessly as well. Once this mess was cleaned up, he would never stop teasing Obi-Wan about that. “And you can call me Cody. There’s a slight issue with the paperwork about which of the intelligence units you were planning to bring with you.”

“Let me guess, it currently stands at all of them,” Quinlan rolled his eyes fondly. “I told them to work it out amongst themselves, which they often seem to interpret as ‘whoever slices themselves the assignment first gets it.’ I’ll go work it out.”

“I’ll show you where to go,” Cody said, turning toward the door.

“Cody, wait a moment,” Obi-Wan said, grabbing a datapad off his desk and handing it to Cody. “I need you to look this over today or tomorrow.”

Cody took the datapad, and Obi-Wan took the opportunity to lean closer and kiss him briefly. Anakin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he said nothing. After a moment, Cody pulled back and smiled.

“I’ll see you in the mess this evening for latemeal?” He asked.

“Yes, I’ll be there,” Obi-Wan responded, and Anakin could feel his happiness leaking over their bond. He really was so happy for Obi-Wan.

Anakin watched Obi-Wan watch as Cody and Quinlan left, and couldn’t help but laugh at the stupidly happy look on his best friend’s face.

“Honestly, Obi-Wan, I was starting to wonder if you realized that most couples do in fact kiss, or if you thought it was a myth,” Anakin teased.

“That’s interesting, Anakin, because as I recall, you were the one who was surprised to realize that some people kiss other people for fun, without being their ‘one true love,’” Obi-Wan snarked back.

“Why would you want to kiss someone you don’t love? It’s boring and you don’t know where they’ve been!” Anakin insisted. “It’s so much better to kiss someone you _are_ in love with, why even bother with random people?”

Obi-Wan laughed, which was exactly the response Anakin was hoping for.

“Well, I do agree with you that this is much better than a simple fling, at least,” Obi-Wan said, eyes sparkling with delight.

“I’m glad you’re happy, Master,” Anakin said, surprising himself with the turn to something more sincere than the teasing.

“I am too,” Obi-Wan said, expression softening. “That you’re happy with Padme, that is. All I want is for you to be happy.”

“Me too,” Anakin said, somewhat at a loss for words in the face of such sincerity and honesty about something he had thought he’d never be able to discuss with Obi-Wan. Then he thought over what he’d just said again. “I mean, I want you to be happy also. I wasn’t just agreeing that I deserve to be happy.”

Obi-Wan laughed softly and stepped closer to Anakin, wrapping an arm around him in a quick sideways hug. Anakin was somewhat startled at the contact, unused to physical affection from Obi-Wan outside the battlefield or medbay, but he quickly relaxed and returned the hug before Obi-Wan’s arm could drop away.

“Next time we’re on Coruscant, we ought to do something together. You and me, and Padme and Cody too! Something where we don’t have to be so formal,” Anakin suggested.

“Dex’s?” Obi-Wan offered, eyes lighting up at the thought.

“Yeah, perfect!” Anakin agreed.

The door opened again, and Quinlan came back in, breaking the moment, and Anakin tried not to tense up. He knew that Obi-Wan was right in what he’d said before, that Vos was here to help, but it was still uncomfortable to be talking about this with any Jedi he didn’t know as well as Obi-Wan. But Vos seemed to notice his discomfort anyway.

“Skywalker. Looks like we need to clear the air,” he said. “I’m not here to judge you. I really don’t care about your mistake aside from it giving me another way to tease Obi-Wan. I’m on your side here, you don’t need to be worried about _me_ scolding you for messing something up.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Anakin said, but even he knew the lie was obvious.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan interjected. “You said that the Jedi are your culture, agreed that we’re your family. Why won’t you trust us?”

“I trust you, Obi-Wan,” Anakin protested.

“You do, but not with everything, and that’s not what I asked anyway,” Obi-Wan responded. “I know there are some conflicts between you and the rest of the Jedi sometimes, but we’re here for you. We won’t just abandon you to deal with your problems yourself. That’s why the Jedi are an _Order_ not just a school or job.”

“Yeah, what he said. Less sappy, though,” Quinlan agreed, but he was grinning, and Anakin could feel the honesty from both of them in the Force.

“Okay,” Anakin agreed, trying to make himself relax a bit. “But I agree with Vos, Master. That was super sappy. Does being engaged turn you into a sentimental disaster?”

“Or is it being able to have sex regularly that does that?” Vos interjected.

Despite the part of him that shuddered at the thought of Obi-Wan and sex,- _that’s his older brother_ \- the way Obi-Wan blushed in response to their combined teasing had Anakin laughing and reaching out a fist for Vos to knock his against.

“Getting back to work,” Obi-Wan said, overly loudly. “What’s your plan?”

Laughing, Vos sat himself down and started talking, and Anakin felt the last of the tension leave his body as the three of them settled into a rhythm and got down to business.

-

Ahsoka was sitting on the couch, working on some schoolwork when her Master entered their quarters. She looked up at him eagerly, hoping for something to give her a break from boring worksheets, but he just nodded at her and said nothing.

He looked oddly nervous, which was making her anxious. Usually, when Anakin was nervous, it was because he had something to say that he thought might be taken poorly. But he said nothing, and Ahsoka knew better than to try and push him to talk about something when he didn't’ want to. She turned back to her work.

“Would you rather be a bridesmaid or a flower girl?” Anakin blurted out a few minutes later.

“What?” Ahsoka startled and looked up at Anakin. Unless she was badly mistaken, those were positions in a wedding party within some cultures. Was Anakin getting married?

“It’s Naboo wedding tradition! And you’re a little older than most flower girls, but not as old as most bridesmaids and so I wanted to ask. Which one you preferred,” Anakin said. “I’m- getting married.”

“Master! I’m so excited for you! I didn’t realize you and Padme were ready for something like that!” Ahsoka grinned widely.

“How does everyone know about me and Padme?” Anakin asked, seemingly to himself.

“I mean, you’re really not all that subtle, Master,” Ahsoka giggled, and she laughed harder when Anakin shoved at her, knocking her off balance.

“So you would want to be part of my wedding, then?” Anakin asked, and Ahsoka could still sense a thread of nerves in him.

“Yeah, ‘course I would. What’s going on, Master?” She asked, sitting up and taking a longer look at him.

“I didn’t know Jedi could get married. Until two days ago, I mean,” Anakin admitted.

Ahsoka let out a slightly startled laugh. She didn’t really know how else to respond. It was kind of funny, that he hadn’t known, but she was also confused about that, and she really didn’t understand why that fact was making him so nervous.

“I thought it was forbidden for Jedi to have romantic relationships, and I still pursued one with Padme. And then I messed up and almost caused a big scandal because of it,” Anakin kept going, and Ahsoka understood a bit better now.

“But it’s okay now, isn’t it?” She asked. “You said almost, so it must have been fixed, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Obi-Wan talked to the Council, and Knight Vos was sent to help clean up the mess,” Anakin seemed confused about it even as he said it.

“Oh,” Ahsoka said. Now she really understood his nerves. Her master hated to ask for help. “Well that’s fine. Nobody’s upset or hurt or anything, right? And now you can marry Padme and it’ll be great.”

“Yeah. It went better than I hoped it would, honestly. It’s just- everything’s such a mess right now, I’m not used to things working out anymore,” Anakin was trying to laugh about it, she could tell, but the words were just a bit too vulnerable to be funny.

Ahsoka leaned back toward him, and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I know. Sometimes I forget that things can go well too. But it’s okay, ‘cause we can help each other, right? That’s what we’re here for.”

As close to him as she was, she could hear the way Anakin swallowed hard, choking back a reaction to her words. When she poked at his mind through their bond, he was still a little messy, emotionally, so she kept holding on to him.

Eventually, he brought his arms up around her back, and she sighed softly and relaxed into the hug. She felt a sense of anticipation in the air, but it didn’t seem dangerous, and her Master was here, so she wasn’t too worried.

“Love you, Snips,” Anakin murmured, quiet enough that she almost didn’t hear him. She felt a burst of happiness and affection in her chest and smiled widely, though she knew he couldn’t see it.

“Love you too, Master,” she said, and felt all the tension release from his body at once.

Later, she opened her eyes, surprised at the realization that she’d closed them, and found a blanket wrapped around herself and Anakin, who was slumped back against the couch cushions. Oh. They must have fallen asleep.

She sensed Master Obi-Wan somewhere behind her, and figured he must have been the one who gave them the blanket. She still felt sleepy, and thought she might close her eyes again, but she wanted to thank him too.

“Thanks for the blanket, Master Obi-Wan,” she mumbled, and was pretty sure she was getting her message across more with the warmth and gratitude she was broadcasting than with her voice.

“You’re welcome, Ahsoka,” he said, quietly, voice pitched so as not to wake Anakin.

“Love you,” Ahsoka said back, unsure why she did other than the fact that she was still tired and she was warm and happy and now that she’d had the chance to say it to one of her masters, she couldn’t hold back from saying it to the other.

Obi-Wan paused long enough that she was practically asleep again, but finally he spoke.

“I love you too, Padawan.” He said her rank like an endearment, like it meant family and belonging. Then, he chuckled lightly. “That goes for you as well, Anakin.”

Ahsoka was asleep before she could hear Anakin’s response.

-

Padme was re-fastening her hairdo after their speeder ride to Dex’s. It wasn’t a problem they’d had before, but then, Padme didn’t usually wear her hair in anything too intricate and attention-grabbing on their dates.

“I’m sure it’ll be easier to fix it inside, angel,” Anakin said. “There’s no wind in there. And you can sit down.”

“It’s not that hard to fix, Ani,” Padme responded, still fussing with a few loose strands, but she stepped a bit closer to the door. Anakin was beginning to get the feeling that she was avoiding going inside, which made no sense to him. She’d seemed excited about this when they’d planned it.

After a moment, she let her hands drop back to her sides, and smiled at him, and Anakin forgot all his suspicions in the face of her gorgeous smile. He opened the door for her, and followed her in, waving to Obi-Wan and Cody when he saw them already seated.

Obi-Wan had his back to the door, which Anakin was glad to see. He’d noticed that Obi-Wan had been getting into the habit of avoiding sitting down in a seat where he couldn’t clearly see the door. Anakin understood the urge, but he hated to see the reminder of how guarded his Master had become. But he still felt safe in some places, and with some people.

He and Padme sat down across from them, and before they could say anything, got a wave from Dex that he’d be over in a minute.

“I ordered for you already, Anakin. I hope you don’t mind,” Obi-Wan said.

“Nah, you know what I like,” Anakin waved it off. “So only Padme still needs to order?”

“Yes. I wasn’t so sure what you would want, Padme, but that way most of our order can get started before the dinner rush arrives,” Obi-Wan said. He seemed a bit unsure, and Padme could understand why. She wasn’t exactly sure how to interact with him now either, with the truth of her and Anakin’s relationship revealed, putting them far more in the position of siblings-in-law than the friend-you-met-through-work relationship they’d had previously.

“That’s a good idea, thank you Obi-Wan,” Padme replied, smiling to remind him that they were friends too.

Obi-Wan relaxed a bit and smiled back at her, and she was glad to see that she’d made the right choice.

“I hear congratulations are in order!” Dex said as he neared their table. Anakin grinned back at him.

“Thanks Dex,” he said.

“Thank you, for bringing Miss Padme down here so I could congratulate you two on finally getting it together!” Dex responded, and Anakin _knew_ from the way he said it that this was yet another person he’d failed to keep the truth from. But that wasn’t so much of a surprise, not with how often he and Padme came here. He had suspected Dex knew, but figured he didn’t care enough to tell anyone.

“Thank you as well, Dex. I’ll just have my usual tonight, if it won’t be long,” Padme asked. She liked the food here well enough, but it was mainly the memories and Anakin’s love for the place that made it special. Still, there was one dish she truly loved, despite the fact that it was one of the things on the menu that took the longest to prepare.

“I made sure to get it cooking as soon as Obi-Wan mentioned you two were coming,” Dex replied. “It’ll all be ready soon.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the food arrived, and they all settled in to eat. The comfort food and good company gradually improved all of their moods, and it didn’t take long for laughter to start filling the air around their table.

“I think this puts me above you on the tally of who’s saved who the most, by the way,” Obi-Wan mentioned, faux-casually.

“No! That’s for life-saving, not just anything!” Anakin retorted.

“Oh? As I recall, you count that business on Cato Neimoidia, despite the non-life-threatening circumstances simply because I said that you ‘were a lifesaver’ that day. As did you during this excursion. If that counts, then so does this.”

“Oh, so now you’re willing to accept that in the count? Wouldn’t that add one to my count as well, making us equal?”

Padme’s comm went off before Obi-Wan could respond.

“I’m sorry, I need to take this,” Padme said, standing. “It shouldn’t be long.”

Anakin nodded, knowing how important her job was, but he also grabbed her hand as she left, pressing a kiss to it. It was _so great_ to be able to be romantic with her in public.

Padme smiled at him and left the table, heading for the door, and Anakin stared after her for a minute happily, before turning back to Obi-Wan.

“So where we were?” He asked, still lost in thinking about Padme.

“Hmm, I don’t quite recall,” Obi-Wan replied.

“He was explaining that you did your math wrong, Obi-Wan,” Cody interjected, completely straight-faced, but Anakin could feel amusement around him in the Force.

“Oh, yes, thank you, _dear_ ,” Obi-Wan responded, shooting Cody an unimpressed look.

“Yes, thank you for the reminder Cody!” Anakin said, but before he could continue, he saw Padme walk back inside, someone else following close behind. “I- that is-”

Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed at his stuttering, and he started to turn around to see what had caught his attention, when Anakin finally spoke again, too loudly.

“Yes, that means we’re equal in the count now!” He was repeating himself he knew, but it got Obi-Wan’s confused attention long enough for Padme to come back to the table, her guest following a bit behind.

“I hope you don’t mind-” Padme began, but before she could finish, Obi-Wan startled, and turned around suddenly.

“Satine!” He greeted happily. “I didn’t know you were planetside!”

“It was a last minute engagement. I only arrived a few hours ago, and I’ve been rather busy since. I was going to call you this evening, but Padme suggested I come see you here. That is, if you don’t mind,” Satine responded, an uncertain expression on her face.

“I would be glad to have you join us, but…” Obi-Wan trailed off, glancing to Cody.

“Yes, I wanted to ask you as well, Commander. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your date,” Satine turned to Cody also.

“I don’t mind, Duchess,” Cody responded, after a moment. “It’s hardly a private event already, and I know you and Obi-Wan don’t get as much time together as you’d like.”

Satine smiled at him, and moved to slide in beside Obi-Wan, who shifted slightly. He was now rather tightly pinned between Cody and Satine, but he hardly seemed to mind.

“Thank you,” she said. “And, if you would like, you may call me Satine, in informal contexts, anyway. Given that you are my husband’s fiancee, I would feel strange not to offer, but I can understand if you would not want to do so. I just want you to know that the offer is open.”

“Thank you for asking before joining. It’s appreciated,” Cody offered a polite smile back. “And as for names, the same to you. In informal contexts. Names are… important to us clones, and really, I usually prefer my name to my title or serial number, when it’s appropriate.”

“That’s good to know, Cody,” Satine replied, testing out the name, before smiling again. “Now, I think our husband is getting a bit pouty about being ignored, and I’d like to rectify that.”

“Go right ahead, Satine,” Cody chuckled, and resettled his arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulder to allow Obi-Wan to turn his head to kiss Satine.

Anakin overplayed his disgusted face at the affection when they pulled apart, because he knew it would amuse Obi-Wan.

“I oughta make this equal; you really should be as grossed out as I am,” Anakin said, before kissing Padme deeply. He would never not take advantage of an opportunity to kiss Padme.

Obi-Wan didn’t look nearly as uncomfortable seeing him kiss Padme as Anakin was about him kissing _anyone_ , but it wasn’t as though Anakin was really particularly upset about Obi-Wan receiving affection. He deserved it.

“Anakin, I think you’re the one with faulty math now,” Obi-Wan responded, before turning the other way and kissing Cody.

Anakin was too happy for his Master for the dig or the affection to bother him, so he simply settled back in his seat and basked in the happiness around him.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [obi-wan kenobi, the jedi code, and other things anakin has misunderstood [art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24008389) by [wrennette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrennette/pseuds/wrennette)




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